Eelephant does everything to try to save the newborn baby: footage shows mother desperately trying in vain to nudge and wake up a calf born at the Swiss zoo
- Fahra, a 17-year-old Asian elephant in danger of extinction, gave birth to a baby at Zurich Zoo
- But the newborn calf was very weak when Fahra tried to revive it with her trunk
- The baby passed away a short time later, despite the mother’s efforts
This is the heartbreaking moment when a mother elephant tries everything to wake up her newborn baby in a Swiss zoo – but the little one ends up losing his fight to live.
The endangered Asian elephant was born to his 17-year-old mother Farha on January 14 in the Kaeng Krachan elephant park at Zurich Zoo.
The calf’s grandmother, Ceyla-Himali, was also present at the birth. The Zurich Zoo announced that births in the wild also take place in the family circle.
Footage captures the first joyful moment as Fahra gives birth to her calf – but it soon turns into a devastating fight to save the newborn’s life.
The footage first shows the first joyful moment when Fahra gives birth to her calf – but it soon turns into a devastating fight for the life of her newborn
The clips show Fahra experiencing contractions after induction and the baby eventually being born
Elephants have the longest gestation period of any living mammal and Farha was 22 months pregnant – meaning the arrival of the endangered baby Asian elephant was eagerly awaited by zoo staff.
The clips show Fahra experiencing contractions after induction and the baby eventually being born.
At first the calf seems to move a little, but the already doting mother instinctively senses something is wrong and starts nudging it with her foot.
The Swiss Zoo said the baby was “very weak” from the moment it was born.
Fahra desperately but gently uses her trunk to pet her child, checking his ears, face and body.
She also sticks the end of her trunk in the baby’s mouth — which Elephant Aid says often happens between close family and friends.
Fahra desperately but gently uses her trunk to pet her child, checking his ears, face and body. Zoo keepers had shot a pink medicinal dart into the calf to try to help him
Elephants have the longest gestation period of any living mammal, and Farha, pictured about to give birth, was pregnant for 22 months
The website adds that “virtually all” close interactions with elephants involve the trunk.
The zoo said the mother and grandmother tried to resuscitate the baby with care and consideration while trying to get the calf to move and drink.
Vets also tried to get him medication, but he tragically passed away a short time later.
In a statement dated January 16, Zurich Zoo said: “The expected elephant birth in the Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park at the beginning of the year did not have the desired outcome.
“In the night from Saturday to Sunday, the 17-year-old female elephant Farha gave birth to a male elephant. Unfortunately the calf died of weakness shortly after birth.’
A pathological investigation of the cause of death is awaited.
Before the birth: Fahra (left) is with her mother Ceyla-Himali in the administration area of the elephant park Kaeng Krachan
Here the vet team did an ultrasound to check on Fahra’s progress during labour. The zoo said she was closely observed and monitored before and during birth
It is the fourth death of an elephant in the park after three elephants died from the elephant herpes virus last year.
For the time being, experts do not believe that the virus was responsible for the death of the youngest baby.
The zoo said Farha was closely monitored and observed before and during birth.
Asian elephants are endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and poaching for their tusks and skin.
They are smaller than their cousins, the African elephants, but still range in size from 6 feet to nearly 10 feet.
The Kaeng Krachan elephant park at Zurich Zoo is one of the most modern facilities in Europe and is part of the European Endangered Species Program (EEP).
It is home to a number of Asian elephants and offers underwater views of swimming elephants as one of its main attractions.